1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to digital control of lighting and video devices. In particular, the present invention relates to a system and a software protocol which controls lighting and video devices with the same control system.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
High-intensity light sources, such as incandescent fluorescent, and halogen lighting devices, have long been used in many large-scale applications, such as large public information displays, outdoor stadium displays, and theatrical lighting systems.
Originally, large manually-operated switches and dimmers were located near the lighting devices to control the illumination of many large-scale lighting applications. Later, lighting devices were remotely operated by use of electronic dimmers that employed a low voltage direct current (DC) to control the lighting devices' high-voltage power.
This DC control voltage ran on long individual wires to control individual lighting devices. This ‘analog’ system, although outmoded, is still widely used today.
Most recently, however, digitally controlled illumination systems have been developed in which a network of individual lights is controlled by a central computer controlled console. Such illumination systems are widely used today in, for example, theatrical lighting systems.
In 1986, the U.S. Institute of Theatre Technology (USITT) developed the DMX512-protocol as a standard digital interface between dimmers and computer control consoles. In the DMX512-protocol, each lighting device has a digital address and responds to the digital commands sent on a control cable to this address. A lighting device may possess multiple addresses. For example, a color changing light may have one address to set the mode of the lighting device (on/off/sound activated), another address to select the color and a third address to set the speed at which it changes the color. More than one light may be set to the same address. In this way, multiple lights may be simultaneously controlled in an identical Wanner by use of only one DMX512-address. The DMX512-protocol is capable of controlling up to 512 addresses per each lighting group that is referred to as a “universe.”
The DMX512-protocol was originally developed to control theatrical lighting dimmers, including a variety of lighting effects, such as color changes, light motion, fog machines and laser displays, but it is now being used in many other applications. Some light sources are specifically designed to work with the DMX512-standard, although most lighting devices can be made to work according to the standard by using DMX512 dimmer modules. The DMX512-protocol has allowed uniformity in programming digital lighting; however, a custom hardware setup that uses a variety of lighting devices is often created each time a lighting system is needed.
Often, the lighting devices have different power requirements; in some cases, they require external regulation; in other cases, they require high voltage unregulated power supplies. Thus, what is needed is a lighting protocol which can communicate and control both DMX512-lighting devices and custom lighting devices which are not DMX512 compatible.
Further, the DMX512-protocol is a simplex communication protocol which only allows one communication between the control station and the lighting device. Simplex communication prohibits the lighting devices from providing feedback to the control station; lighting devices could feedback, for example, device identification, servicing needs and location. What is needed, is a lighting protocol which provides full duplex communication between the control station and the lighting devices.
Additionally, with the advancement of technology, many commercial events are also demanding digital control over video display devices as well as DMX512-lighting devices and custom lighting devices. Controlling video display devices necessitates having digital controllers compatible with the video devices. However, current digital video controllers are not compatible with current DMX512 lighting device digital controllers. As a result, multiple control stations are needed to operate the video devices, the DMX512 lighting devices and the custom lighting devices.
What is needed, is a means of digitally controlling DMX512 lighting devices, custom lighting devices and video devices within one digital control system. U.S. Pat. No. 6,605,907 entitled, “Method, Apparatus And System For Image Projection Lighting,” details a method and a system of digitally controlling DMX512-lighting devices and lighting devices that have image projection capabilities. However, U.S. Pat. No. 6,605,907 fails to provide a means of digitally controlling video displays.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,605,907 also necessitates multiple channels for digitally controlling the lighting and video devices. What is needed, is a means of digitally controlling DMX512-lighting devices, custom lighting devices and video display and projection devices over the same communications channel.